Highway-crossing signal



F. E.'AND B. R. BROWN. HIGHWAY CROSSING SIGNAL. APPLICATION FILED AUG. I5, 1917- REHEWED SEPT. 9, I920- 5 t L m 9 v 11 n 4 Q 8 mm JH m2 m a P Lfm F. E. AND B. R. BROWN. HIGHWAY CROSSING SIGNAL. APPLICATION FILED AUG.I5, 1917. RENEWED SEPT. 9, 1920.

1L 2 9 11H Re hm w 0w m2 lb m. 2 pm 5 2 5, i 4 5 2 .4 0/ 4% 5 a mm w. I O I D I I O l FRANK EUGENE EBOWH AND BURNIGE ROY BRQWN, 0F VJEBSTEE GITY, IOW'A HIGHVJAY-CROSSING SEGNAL.

reserve.

Application filed August 15, 1917, Serial N0. 186,335. Renewed September 9,

1' 0 all whom it may concern:

lie it known that we, FRANK EUGENE BROWN and BnRNIon ROY BROWN, citizens of the United States, residing at Webster City, in the county of Hamilton and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in l-lighway Crossing Signals; and they do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention is a railroad crossing signaling device, and relates more particularly to the type that is automatically operated by the passing or a train.

It has for its object to provide a signaling device more particularly designed to be used in connection with a railroad at a road crossing, said signaling device to be automatically brought into a signaling position across the roadway upon the approach of a train, and automatically released to a nonsignaling position when the train has passed.

With these and other objects in view which may become more apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the invention contemplates the provision of a plurality of bars provided with suitable signaling means, pivotally mounted on either side of the railroad track adjacent a common side of a crossing roadway, upon suitable supports, with instrumentalities connecting the signal bar to an operating mechanism mounted at a suitable point adj aeent one rail of the track. The operating mechanism may be so positioned with respect to the track that the wheels of a passing train may contact therewith and act through said instrumentalities, thereby bringing the signal bars into a signaling position across the roadway. The invention further contemplates the provision of means whereby the devicemay be rendered operative by the passage of a train in one direction only, or if desired, may be so arranged and to be rendered operative by the passage of a train in either direction.

One embodiment of the invention is hereinafter fully described and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, it being understoodthat the drawings are for purposes of Specification of Letters Eatent.

liatonted Jan. 4, rear.

1920. Serial No. 409.270.

illustration only, and not as defining or limiting the scope of the invention. The right is reserved to make such changes in size and proportion of parts and in minor details of construction as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims without departing irom the spirit, or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the invention as assembled in operative position upon a track.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a ilragmental sectional view of the operating mechanism with the guard plates and supports broken away.

Fig. 4 is a tragmental elevation of a signaling bar in its signaling position.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the raclr bars.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the actuating lever.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the same.

Like reference numerals are used to designate like parts throughout. k-

in the embodiment of the invention disclosed in the accompanying drawings, 1 and 2 designate the rails and 3 the cross-ties of a railroad track A, which may be of the usual I type. Fig. 1 shows a portion of the track A.

crossed. by the roadway B in the usual manner, and as before stated, it is the object of this invention to provide means whereby a tram approaching the roadway B along the track A may automatically operate suitable signaling devices to warn the occupants of vehicles on the road of the approach of the train. To this end a plurality of suitable uprights 4: and 5 may be provided positioned one on either side of the track A, and preferably on one side of the road B.

The uprights may be of any desired form and construction, and are shown provided with bars 6 pivotally mounted to said uprights by means of suitable bolts or pintles 7. lhe bars 6 are designed to stand normally in a substantially vertical position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and to retain the bars in this position, suitable stops 8 may be provided to cotiperate with the actuating mechanism hereinafter to be described. As shown in Fig. 2, the stops 8 may be carried by the uprights 4 and 5, and are designed to be engaged by the bars 6 to limit their pivotal movement in one direction.

As shown in Fig. 1, the bars 6 are preferably pivoted adjacent one end thereof, so that when they are rotated upon their respective pivots, the longer end may extend horizontally and substantially across the roadway B, said operation to be more fully hereinafter described.

The bars 6 may be each provided with a bracket 9, said brackets being preferably positioned immediately adjacent the ex tremity of the shorter section 10 of the bars 6. The brackets may be of any desired form and material, and are designed to ex tend at right angles to the bars 6, and away from the road 15, said brackets being provided with a plurality of apertures 1.1 to be hereinafter referred to.

Suitably positioned upon a cross-tie 12 between the rails 1 and 2 and the respective adjacent uprights 4 and 5, is shown a plurality of bell-crank levers 12 and 13, said levers being preferably positioned shown upon the vertical face of the tie adjacent the roadway, and mounted for oscillation in a vertical plane about suitable pintles 14. The levers 12 and 13 are substantially identical in size and shape and may each be provided with a short vertical arm, 15, and a longer horizontal arm 16. Euitable links 17 are shown connecting the longer arms 16 with the brackets 9, hereinbefore referred to. The arms 16 may be provided with a plurality of apertures 13, whereby the links 17 may be adjusted to alter the relative leverage of the system.

Suitably positioned upon an. adjacent cross-tie may be a T-lever 19, being mounted as shown by means'of a pintle 20 for oscillation thereabout in. a horizontal plane. One arm 21 of the lever 19 may be provided with a plurality of apertures 22 to furnish suitable adjustment for a connecting link 24. The opposite arm 25 of the lever 19 may also be provided with a plurality of apertures 26.

Suitably positioned with respect to the lever 19, there may be provided on the cross-tie 12 a second horizontal bell-crank lever 27, pivotally secured to the tie by a suitable pintle 28. i The lever 27 may be fulcrumed reversely to the lever 19, its arms extending parallel to and away from the rail 1, and the arms of the latter parallel with and toward the rail 1. The arm 29 of the lever 27 is shown provided with a plurality of apertures 30 to provide suitable adjustment for a connecting link 31.

The opposite arm 32 of the lever 27 may be provided with apertures 33 to cooperate with apertures 23 in the arm 15 of the lever 13 to'provide suitable adjustment for the link 34, said link being shown extending transversely beneath the rails 1 and 2 of the track A, and connecting the arm 32 of the lever 27 with the arm 15 of the lever 13.

By this system of levers and links, it will be seen that oscillation of the lever 19 about its pintle will serve to operate the bars 6 radially and in unison about their respective pivots.

The operation of the bars 6 is accomplished by means of the contact between the wheels of an approaching train and a plurality of segmental rack bars The rack bars 35 are shown pivotally mounted ad jacent the outside of the rail 1, by means of suitable pintles 36. As shown in Fig. 2, the bars 35 may be mounted for pivotal movement in a vertical plane and are designed to stand normally above the surface of the rail 1. They may be made of any suitable material, but are preferably of hardened steel, so that they may eliectively withstand the frictional engagement with the wheels of passing trains. The bars are of a form best shown in Fig. 5, and are provided at the ends with a segmental rack 37, said racks designed to engage eachother as shown in Fig. 3 to cause the bars 35 to op erate in unison. The bars may be provided with cylindrical apertures 36 at their other extremities to receive the pintles 36,whereby the bars 35 are pivotally mounted adjacent the rail 1, as hereinbefore described.

The bars 35 are retained in their elevated position as shown in Fig. 4: by means of an actuating lever 38. This lever may be keyed, or otherwise rigidly secured, to a horizontal shaft 39 extending at right angles to the rail 1. The shaft 39 may be journaled in the rail 1 and a suitable support 40, said support being secured to the rail 1 by suitable bolts 11. Upon the end of the shaft 39 adjacent the rail 1, may be rigidly mounted a lug d2, said lug being positioned at substantially right angles to the lever 38. It is to be understood that the bars 35 are designed to simultaneously engage the lug 42, as shown in Fig. 3, said lug being urged in counter-clockwise direction under the action of a suitable spring 43, tensionally connecting the lever 38 to a cross-tie or other supporting means. as shown in the drawings. It will be understood from the foregoing description that the lever 38 and the lug 42 acting under the spring 43 serve to keep the bars 35 in their elevated position, as shown in Fig. 3.

It is to be understood that the rack engagement between the bars 35 is to cause the bars to move in unison. From the arrangement shown in the drawings, it will be seen that when one bar is depressed by engagement with a car wheel, the other bar will simultaneously be depressed. Thus, by making the bars 35 of suitable length, they may be depressed continually during the entire passage of a train if the bars are made sufficiently long so that one or the other will be in engagement with a wheel of the train during its entire passage. It is evident that the length of the bars 35 will thus depend upon the distance separating the forward and rear trucks of a car.

A suitable link 44 may be provided to connect the lever 38 with the arm of the T lever 19, whereby the depression of the bars by the wheels of a train on the track will serve to rotate the shaft 39 in a clockwise direct-ion, and thereby oscillate the lever 19 on its pintle 20, said oscillation acting through the links and levers hereinbefore described, to bring the bars 6 to a horizontal position across the road B, said position being shown in Fig. 4.

The rack bars 35 and the lug 42 of the shaft 39 may, if desired, be inclosed in a suitable casing 45 to prevent the ingress of inj urious materials to the mechanism contained therein.

It is to be understood that various changes in size and relative position of the elements hereinbefore recited may be made to meet the various requirements that different locations may necessitate, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

For instance, if found desirable, a second mechanism similar to that hereinbefore de scribed for operating the link and lever mechanism of the bars may be employed as shown at 46, and the same connected to the lever 38 by a suitable connecting link 47,

whereby the two mechanisms will operate in unison. It is to be understood that the arrangement proposed herein is designed to be used in lieu of lengthening the bars 35 to a length sufficient to accommodate the appa ratus for use in connection with the widely separated trucks of passenger cars.

If found desirable, the bars 6 may be provided with suitable signaling means, such as strands of rope or cord, which may be colored if desired to render them more easily distinguishable. It may be further desir able to equip the bars 6 with suitable electrical contacts whereby red and green or other suitable lights may be exhibited at the proper intervals, after nightfall rendersthe bars ditiicultlv visible. If desired. the bars 6 may be positioned upon the uprights 4 and 5 at such height that they will be included in the field of illumination of the headlights of vehicles traveling on the roadways B, and thus dispense with the use of any auxiliary lighting means on the bars.

The invention further contemplates the provision of a novel automatic switching mechanism whereby the actuating mechanism may be rendered operative or inoperative as described. relative to the direction of travel of the train. This switching mechanism comprises a spring pressed switch blade 49 secured to the rail 1 adjacent the bars 35 and a similar blade 50 secured to the opposite rail. With the operating mechanism arranged as shown, the switch blades are mounted on the inside of the rails. The blade 49 may be suitably secured to the rail 1 by a suitable bolt 51 at a point intermediate between the tapered extremities 52 and 53. A. suitable resilient substance 54, such as rubber, may be interposed between the blade 49 and the rail 1 adjacent the end 52, whereby the end- 52 of said blade may be held out of cont-act with the rail 1 a sufficient distance to allow the passage between it and the rail 1 of the flange of a car wheel. The blade 50 may be similarly but reversely secured to the rail 2 by a suitable bolt 55. Interposed between the end 56 and the rail 2 is shown a suitable resilient device 57, which is designed to keep the tapered end 56 out of contact with the rail 2 similarly as described of the end 52 of the blade 49. It will be seen from the arrangement that the respective opposite extremities of the blades 49 and 50 will be held in tensional contact with the rails 1 and 2 respectively. These blades act upon the flanges of the wheel and displace the wheels to such an extent that their tread surfaces will not come in contact with the rack bars 35 and through them actuate the signal bars. lVith the apparatus as shown in Fig. 1, it will be seen that a train approaching the roadway B from the right will serve to operate the bars 6 by engagement between the car wheels and the rack bars 35, but that a train coming from the opposite direction will pass the bars 35 without contacting therewith, owing to the en gagementbetween the wheels of the train and the switch blade 49. it is to be understood that the switch blades, such as above set forth are designed to be used in connec tion with each actuating mechanism used.

it is to be understood that the switch mechanism above set forth and described is designed to be used on one track of a double track system, where the trains moving in a common direction. are confined to a single track. If desired, to use the device on a single track system where it is to be operated by trains moving in either direction, an additional actuating mecha nism such as set forth at 46 may be secured to the rail 1 on the opposite side of the roadway B, and the lever 38 thereof connected to the arm 58 of the i -lever 19 by a suit able link 59. Associated with this actuat ing mechanism may be a switch mechanism similar to that disclosed in Fig. 1, but arranged in a reverse direction, so that trains moving from left to right on the track, as shown in the drawings, will serve to operate the mechanism situated on the far side of the roadway B.

It is to be understood that the actuating mechanisms herein set forth and disclosed are designed to be situated at suitable distance on either side of the roadway B, in order that the signal bars 6 may be brought into their signaling position a suitable time before the approach of the train to the crossing. This may be done by lengthening the connecting rods 44, and 47 to any desired length.

By means of this invention, it will be seen that suitable signaling means are brought positively into operative position by an approaching train, and released from their signaling position after the passage of said train.

In the accompanying drawings, the connections between the various rods and lever arms are shown merely for the purpose of illustration, as pin and hole joints, but it is to be understood that in a practical exploitation of the invention the rods may be provided with suitable adjustable yokes or ears whereby a more secure connection and also one capable of adjustment may be obtained. It is to be further observed that should occasion require it, the signal bars may be mounted to swing in a horizontal plane instead of in a vertical plane as disclosed in the drawings, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described, the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. In a railroad crossing signal, a plurality of signal bars, supports therefor, actuating bars, racks to connect the actuating bars for simultaneous movement. and means carried by the track to operate the bars.

2. The combination with a railroad track, of a signal bar pivotally mounted on either side of the track parallel thereto, actuating bars, racks to connect the actuating bars for simultaneous operation, a plurality of spring pressed bars carried by the track to engage the wheels of a passing train and be depressed thereby, and means whereby said depression will actuate the signal bars.

8. The combination with a railroad track of a plurality of bars pivotally mounted thereon and parallel thereto, segmental gears carried by the bars to connect the bars for simultaneous movement, a spring actuated lug to simultaneously engage the bars to retain them in an elevated position relative to the track, and means to place inseam the bars into and out of engagement with the wheels of a passing train.

4:. The combination with a railroad track of a plurality of rack bars pivotally mounted thereon and oarallel thereto, a spring actuated shaft carried by the track, a lug carried by said shaft, said lug simultaneously engaging the bars to raise them above the level of the track to contact with the wheels of a passing train, a plurality of signal bars, means to connect the signal bars for simultaneous movement, connecting means between the bars and spring actuating shaft, and means whereby the depression of the first mentioned bars by the wheels of a train will serve to operate the signal bars.

5. In an automatic railroad crossing signal, means on the track to actuate the signal, and means to render said actuating means operative or inoperative with respect to the direction of travel of the train.

6. The combination with a railroad track of a plurality of bars pivotally mounted in relation to a rail of said track, a T-lever having an arm extending beneath the ends of said bars, a signal arm or bar, and a train of mechanism extending from said bell-crank lever for actuating said arm.

7. The combination with a railroad track of a plurality of bars pivotally mounted in relation to a rail of said track, a signal arm adapted to be actuated by said bars, and mechanisms for connecting said bars with said arms, the distance between the pivots of the bars being approximately the same as the distance between the trucks of a car.

8. The combination with a railroad track of means adapted to be actuated by the wheels of a train, a signal arm in operative relation to said means, and a switch blade provided with tapering ends and disposed adjacent said actuating means and adapted to engage the flange of a wheel to cause said wheel to move idly past said actuating means.

9. A switch blade for a signaling device in combination with a rail, and a spring for causing one of the tapering ends of said switch blade to normally be in contact with said rail.

In testimony whereof, we afiix our signatures.

FRANK EUGENE BROWN. BURNICE ROY BROWN. 

